Must-see attractions in Southern Morocco & Western Sahara

  • Maison Traditionnelle

    Anti Atlas Mountains

    The 3-storey granite, palm and argan house, some 400 years old, was inhabited by 20 family members – three generations – until 1982. The owner, Mohammed,…

  • Calligraphie Tifinaghe

    Anti Atlas Mountains

    Poet and calligrapher Moulid Nidouissadan paints Amazigh (Berber) proverbs and colourful compositions from natural inks. Free to every visitor is a…

  • CrocoParc

    Agadir

    If anyone in your party is partial to a reptile, it's almost worth making a special trip to Agadir to visit this park, absolutely teeming with Nile crocs…

  • Palais Musée Claudio Bravo

    Taroudant

    This particular palais defies categorisation: it's a hotel, a museum and the former residence of deceased Chilean painter Claudio Bravo, who selected the…

  • Ramparts

    Taroudant

    The 7.5km of ramparts surrounding Taroudant are among the best-preserved rammed-earth walls in Morocco. Their colour changes from golden brown to deepest…

  • Plage Sauvage

    Mirleft

    Four kilometres south of Mirleft is this truly wild beach, accessible down a set of steps, featuring caves, cliffs and crashing waves great for surfing…

  • A kasbah or Qassabah is a type of medina, Islamic city, or fortress (citadel).

    Kasbah

    Agadir

    Offering superb views, the hilltop kasbah 7km northwest of the centre is a rare survivor of the 1960 earthquake. Built in 1541 and restored in the 1740s,…

  • Maison Berbère Traditionnelle

    Tafraoute

    Maison Traditionnelle stands in the largely uninhabited old hilltop village of Tazekka, where bulbous boulders have been incorporated into the pisé …

  • Le Châpeau de Napoléon

    Tafraoute

    These rocks don't look much like Napoleon's hat, to be frank, but they're still weird and impressively massive, soaring above the little town of Aguerd…

  • Aftas Beach

    Mirleft

    Rocky cliffs frame the soft sand at this beach, popular with footballers and families. The predictable thatch huts and decrepit loungers are available,…

  • Marabou Beach

    Mirleft

    Bisected by a massive, imposing boulder, this beach is petite compared to its neighbours, but the waves are no less intense. Avoid swimming at high tide,…

  • Mirleft Beach

    Mirleft

    Layers of breakers crash on miles of tawny sand at the longest of Mirleft's clutch of wonderful beaches. Thatch huts and loungers are available for Dh5,…

  • Palm Beach

    Agadir

    A relaxed private beach with showers, toilets and a kids' play area. Seclusion from the main beach means a more serene visit for families and women.

  • Musée Saint-Exupéry

    Southern Morocco & Western Sahara

    Tarfaya's main claim to fame is its association with the French pilot and writer Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. In 1926 he began flying in the airmail service…

  • Carved Gazelles

    Tafraoute

    The most easily accessible examples of prehistoric rock engravings found in the Tafraoute area are the Carved Gazelles, 2km away in the village of Tazekka…

  • Pierres Bleues

    Tafraoute

    The bizarrely beautiful Pierres Bleues are the work of Belgian artist Jean Verame, who spray-painted the smooth, rounded boulders in shades of blue, red,…

  • Jardin Ibn Zaidoun

    Agadir

    This pleasant green oasis in the urban melee is home to dozens of trees towering over families picnicking with their portable shishas. The eucalyptus…

  • Dar Azaafaran

    Anti Atlas Mountains

    This modern information centre is devoted to l'or rouge – red gold, the nickname for saffron – with a small museum, saffron for sale by local cooperatives…

  • Beach

    Sidi Ifni

    The beach is big and rarely busy. While frequently rough waves make swimming inadvisable, its position beneath dramatic cliffs – as well as its…

  • Marina

    Agadir

    The city’s most modern attraction is a billion-dirham Dubai-esque pleasure port between the beach and commercial port. As well as mooring for your…

  • Town Hall

    Sidi Ifni

    One of Sidi Ifni's finest Spanish-era buildings, the stately hôtel de ville stands in a garden of cactus and plumbago, facing Place Hassan II. It's washed…

  • Théâtre en Plein Air

    Agadir

    This large open-air theatre-in-the-round is for the design-heads. Hemmed in by large magnolia trees and some bougainvillea doing the best it can, the…

  • Bab El Kasbah

    Taroudant

    Built in the 16th and 17th centuries, a string of mighty defensive towers serve as the city gates. Considered the main gate, the triple-arched Bab El…

  • Royal Palace

    Sidi Ifni

    Trimmed by palm trees, this imposing building is adjacent to the relaxed Place Hassan II (formerly Plaza de España). This building in particular, with its…

  • Assalama Ferry Wreck

    Southern Morocco & Western Sahara

    The wrecked Armas ferry, Assalama, 2km south of town, worked the short-lived route between Tarfaya and Fuerteventura when it went down in 2008. Its rusted…

  • Casa Mar

    Southern Morocco & Western Sahara

    Numerous romantically dilapidated colonial-era buildings date from the days when Saint-Exupéry touched down here. The Casa Mar is abandoned but still…

  • Mémoire d’Agadir

    Agadir

    This small museum in the southwest corner of Jardin de Olhão, entered from outside the park, is dedicated to the 1960 earthquake. Displays include…

  • Former Spanish Consulate

    Sidi Ifni

    One of Spanish Sidi Ifni's most attractive art-deco buildings, with a notable front porch ideal for the partaking of consular libations. Wonderfully tall…

  • Musée du Patrimoine Amazigh

    Agadir

    With an excellent display of photographs and Berber artefacts, especially jewellery and daggers, the museum is a great place to learn about the…

  • Glaoui Kasbah

    Anti Atlas Mountains

    Gazing at the brown hills, the kasbah is mostly disintegrating, but it makes a pleasant sunset stroll. It's best experienced by spending the night at…

  • Agadir Beach

    Agadir

    Locals and tourists come together here to enjoy the tawny sand, fresh breeze and lapping waves. There are lots of cafes, restaurants and vendors to help…

  • Place Al Alaouyine

    Taroudant

    During Moroccan holidays, Place Al Alaouyine is like Marrakesh's Djemaa El Fna in miniature, with storytellers, snake charmers, escapologists and…

  • Jardin de Olhão

    Agadir

    A cool, relaxing garden created in 1992 to mark the twinning of Agadir with the Portuguese town of Olhão. Good for retreating for a cool drink or to plan…

  • Monday Souq

    Anti Atlas Mountains

    The village comes to life during the Monday souq, near Auberge Le Safran.

  • Rock Engravings

    Anti Atlas Mountains

    The village of Tirnmatmat is the furthest from Tafraoute of the Ameln Valley's 26 villages, and features interesting rock engravings of various animals…

  • St Francis of Assisi Cathedral

    Western Sahara

    Notable for its mid-century Spanish architectural style, this cathedral was designed by the architect Diego Méndez, famous for having worked on the Valle…

  • Kasbah

    Taroudant

    The old kasbah quarter, originally a fortress built by Moulay Ismail, is today a poor but safe residential area, where winding lanes and low archways lead…

  • Saturday Souq

    Southern Morocco & Western Sahara

    Unless you're in the market for tupperware or a camel, you probably won't find anything of use at Goulimime's Saturday souq. But, as the biggest market in…

  • Vallée des Oiseaux

    Agadir

    This leafy city-centre retreat in the dry riverbed running down from Blvd Hassan II to Blvd du 20 Août is a handy – and more scenic – way to walk to the…

  • Lighthouse

    Sidi Ifni

    Essential for Sidi Ifni's marine commerce when the heavy fog inevitably rolls in from the Atlantic, this Spanish-era lighthouse has an interesting mosaic…